BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - ANOTHER component of the Habitat 30 homeownership initiative was launched on Tuesday (Apr. 22) in the Fig Tree community in Sandy Point.
Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas made this announcement on his weekly radio programme Ask The Prime Minister.
Dr. Douglas, in delivering his Habitat 30 update, told the listening audience that rather than giving every possible homeowner the same slate, each Constituency is carefully looked at and special attention is given according to the need.
"With Habitat 30, we are paying very special attention to the needs of each individual Constituency as opposed to implementing some type of blanket nation-wide programme", adding that this analysis has led to the launching of the initiative in Stone Fort in Constituency Number Four.
"We have since then and even before been studying the needs and unique profiles of each Constituency in great detail, and based on these efforts we will now be moving forward to launch the Constituency Number Five component of Habitat 30. This time, in Fig Tree, just outside of Sandy Point. Fig Tree, as some of us know, is the smallest community in Number Five and we are very pleased to be able to take this development to that community," Dr. Douglas said.
He went on to speak of the economic activities, expanded homeownership and the other "spinoff" business opportunities a project in that area would bring to its people.
Habitat 30 is a new housing scheme to be undertaken by the National Housing Corporation (NHC), which is expected to see the construction of 1 000 new homes throughout St. Kitts in 2014.
In his opening statement on his ‘Ask the PM’ programme on Tuesday, Dr. Douglas told the people of St. Kitts and Nevis the reason behind this homeownership scheme.
"The government conceived of this for a number of reasons. Firstly, we wanted the people of our Federation, far into the future, to be able to turn to something that was tangible, meaningful and of great value. And to associate that for generations with our 30th Anniversary as a Nation.
"Secondly, we felt that whatever we decided on should have real and lasting value to the people of this country and that it would and should be of meaning and value to them, to their children and their children's children."
He said once the criteria were established, it was decided that the best way to make it a success would be "to get to work to transform, into joyous reality, the dreams of yet another 1 000 men, women and families to own their own homes", adding that each house built would be empowering 4 000 people, "considering that in each household there would be at least four or so people".
"This, of course, being in addition to the 4 000 homes that the government has already built all across this nation. In fact, the 16 000 persons who would have had their lives changed as a result of these 4 000 homes," the Prime Minister said.
